BlackRock’s IBIT ETF Shatters Expectations with $3.7 Billion Trading Surge

Wall Street's crypto embrace just got a multi-billion dollar endorsement. BlackRock's iShares Bitcoin Trust (IBIT) isn't just participating—it's dominating, with a single-day volume haul that would make most traditional ETFs blush.

The Volume Speaks Volumes

Forget tentative drips of institutional interest. A $3.7 billion tidal wave of trading volume for the IBIT ETF signals a fundamental shift. This isn't speculative retail money chasing memes; this is capital moving with the cold, calculated precision of major funds and asset managers finally finding their on-ramp. The infrastructure is here, and the gates are open.

Liquidity Begets Legitimacy

That staggering number does more than just impress—it transforms the landscape. Deep, consistent liquidity is the holy grail for large-scale adoption, turning Bitcoin from a volatile curiosity into a viable institutional asset. BlackRock's sheer scale provides the market plumbing that traditional finance demands, effectively bypassing years of regulatory hesitation and custody concerns in a single trading session.

The New Benchmark

Let's be clear: this sets a new bar. When the world's largest asset manager posts figures like this, it redefines what 'success' looks like for a crypto-linked product. It forces every other fund manager, pension advisor, and wealth platform to re-evaluate their stance. Ignoring an asset class that generates this level of engagement is no longer a conservative strategy—it's a career risk.

The old guard might still scoff at digital 'magic internet money' between sips of their overpriced bourbon, but their own industry's titan is now cashing the checks. The future of finance isn't coming—it's already trading, and it's settling in T+1.

Bitcoin rebounds above $93,000, marking 7% increase over 24 hours

BlackRock’s IBIT ETF has accumulated more than $66.2 billion in total so far, representing a 3.88% share of BTC, according to on-chain data delivered by SoSoValue. The ETF has, however, recorded a net outflow of $65.92 million in December alone, adding on $2.34 billion withdrawn in November. To date, BlackRock manages over 1,400 ETFs, with assets under management exceeding $13.4 trillion. 

As part of the surge in IBIT’s trading volume increase, Bitcoin rebounded yesterday, recording a roughly 7% increase in price over the past 24 hours.

At the time of publication, BTC was trading at $93,040. Ether, XRP, and Dogecoin also gained roughly 7% during the same period. Cardano’s ADA, one of the primary cap tokens, increased by 14% as well as Chainlink’s LINK, which recorded an 11% increase. 

According to a report by Cryptopolitan, Vanguard Group, the world’s second-largest asset manager, announced on Monday that it will expand its scope into the crypto industry, enabling the trading of mutual funds and ETFs that invest in cryptocurrencies.

The asset manager clarified that it WOULD enable its users to trade ETFs and mutual funds that focus on Bitcoin, Ether, XRP, and Solana. 

Andrew Kadjeski, head of brokerage and investments at Vanguard, said that they conducted a test on crypto ETFs and mutual funds, which delivered results that showed they functioned as intended, as investors found it easy to buy and sell them. Meanwhile, Vanguard’s asset base exceeds $11 trillion and is accessible to over 50 million brokerage clients. 

BTC miners suffer stock decline despite broader crypto ecosystem rebound

In contrast to the growth momentum of crypto ETFs like IBIT, Bitcoin mining stocks have maintained a declining trend, which has persisted despite broader market recoveries.

Iren’s stock dropped approximately 15% over the past 24 hours, marking one of the most significant declines among publicly traded miners. Cipher mining, on the other hand, fell by approximately 10% and TeraWulf declined by approximately 7%. 

The drop in mining stocks has been primarily attributed to the BTC halving in mid-last year, which reduced the reward to 3.125, creating a challenging mining environment for miners. Hashrate value raised operational costs, increased mining competition, and increased energy consumption.

According to Hashrate Index data, BTC mining hash price has declined to roughly $39 per petahash per second (PH/s), which determines the expected daily revenue earned per unit of computational power. The unit helps miners to measure their profitability. So far, the unit has dropped by more than 30% from roughly $62 in July. 

MicroStrategy stock ROSE by approximately 6% on NASDAQ yesterday, with its current holdings standing at 650,000 BTC.

The Robinhood trading platform, which offers both stock and access to several crypto asset trading options, recorded a 2% increase over the past 24 hours, reflecting a shift in equities linked to crypto assets.  Circle gained 4%, as did Bullish, CoinDesk’s parent company, which recorded an approximately 5% increase. 

The smartest crypto minds already read our newsletter. Want in? Join them.